Product Launch - GLOBAL: William Grant & Sons' Glenfiddich Cask Collection
By Andy Morton | 11 September 2013
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Click through to view the new Cask Collection |
William Grant & Sons' Glenfiddich Cask Collection
Category - Spirits, Scotch whisky, Speyside, single malt, 40% abv
Available - From last week
Location - Initially in Hamburg and Singapore, global roll out in April
Price - Select Cask, GBP39 (US$61); Reserve Cask, GBP49; Vintage Cask, GBP70
Distribution - Asia Travel Retail, DFS; Europe Travel Retail, Heinemann
William Grant & Sons has launched a no-age Travel Retail exclusive series for the first time in its 125-year history.
The Glenfiddich Cask Collection comprises Select Cask, Reserve Cask and Vintage Cask and was launched last week in Changi and Hamburg airports. William Grant & Sons managing director of GTR Rita Greenwood told just-drinks yesterday (10 September) the series is intended to be “giftable, with a bit of bling” as company research shows that 60% of Travel Retail purchases are for other people.
Greenwood also said 20% of William Grant's Scotch whisky sales come through Travel Retail.
The launch will be supported by William Grant's biggest focus on in-airport consumer tasting, where allowed, Greenwood said. “Travel Retail is very important for us because it gives us the chance to create little brand experiences for the consumer,” she said.
Select Cask and Reserve Cask started rolling out from DFS and Heinemann outlets in Asia and Europe last week, while Vintage Cask will be available in the same outlets from early next year. The whole range will roll out globally from next April.
The Vintage Cask is only the second peated whisky Glenfiddich has produced since records began, according to William Grant's master of malt Brian Kinsman. The first was the Glenfiddich 125, launched last year.
The Cask Collection is Glenfiddich's second launch this week, alongside the distillery's Anniversary Vintage.
THE WORLD’S MOST AWARDED SINGLE MALT LAUNCHES ‘GLENFIDDICH CASK COLLECTION’
Three new expressions unveiled during Glenfiddich’s 125th year
Building on its rich history of whisky innovation, today Glenfiddich reveals the Glenfiddich Cask Collection, three exclusive single malt Scotch whiskies created using Glenfiddich’s pioneering Solera Vat technique. The collection consists of Glenfiddich Select Cask, Glenfiddich Reserve Cask and Glenfiddich Vintage Cask, with each expression expertly crafted to deliver a distinct flavour profile by Glenfiddich Malt Master, Brian Kinsman.
The characteristics of each whisky are the result of maturation in a variety of oak casks, followed by a finish in handcrafted wooden Solera tuns. Pioneered by Glenfiddich in 1998 to create its 15 Year Old, the Solera process marries the whisky together for at least two months, until deemed ready by Brian Kinsman. The technique guarantees the continuity of the whisky's flavour and taste by ensuring that the tun is never less than half full and is constantly replenished. The original Solera Vat is housed in the atmospheric Warehouse 8 at the heart of The Glenfiddich Distillery, which this year celebrates its 60th anniversary. Now it will be joined by three further handcrafted wooden Solera Vats, to be used exclusively to create the Glenfiddich Cask Collection.
Glenfiddich Select Cask is an elegant whisky with layers of sweetness, spice and hints of citrus, matured in hand-selected aged Bourbon, European oak and red wine casks to impart a beautifully soft taste. Glenfiddich Reserve Cask is matured in distinctive Spanish sherry casks used for their mellow and rich flavour characteristics. Deliciously smooth and silky, the whisky is sweet and spicy, with a complex flavour that evolves in the glass. Glenfiddich Vintage Cask is matured in European oak and American Bourbon casks to imbue a smoky, peaty taste that lingers intriguingly with intermingled leafy, floral undertones. It is inspired by the first Glenfiddich spirit that flowed from the stills in 1887, when barley was traditionally malted in kilns at the distillery over furnaces fuelled with dried local peat, infusing the whisky with a unique smokiness. The new Glenfiddich Cask Collection Vintage Cask liquid reflects this legacy by balancing a delicate but discernible peaty note with the characteristic fruity, sweet Glenfiddich spirit. It expands the Glenfiddich flavour map to allow whisky enthusiasts to explore the entire flavour spectrum with the World’s Most Awarded single malt Scotch whisky brand.
Commenting on the launch of the Glenfiddich Cask Collection Brian Kinsman said: "Creating whisky isn’t only about age, it’s about personal taste and flavour, and the Glenfiddich Cask Collection has evolved to give Glenfiddich drinkers the perfect combination of quality, satisfaction and choice. Glenfiddich has a long and illustrious history of innovation within the single malt category and these latest additions to our no-age range allow us to offer single malt aficionados the best of both worlds – whiskies crafted for their flavour, alongside whiskies bottled by their age."
Peter Gordon, director of William Grant and Sons added: “The Glenfiddich Cask Collection is an important development in the evolution of our much loved brand. Since my great-great-grandfather, William Grant, built the distillery 125 years ago, we have remained dedicated to creating remarkable whiskies of unprecedented depth, distinction and diversity of flavour. As a family run business we can influence our whisky-making with the freedom only independence brings, which is why we have an unrivalled amount of whisky stock allowing us to innovate with not one or two new expressions, but three.”
Eac Glenfiddich Cask Collection single malt Scotch whisky has an ABV of 40%. Glenfiddich Select Cask and Glenfiddich Reserve Cask are presented in Glenfiddich’s iconic triangular bottle. Glenfiddich Vintage Cask is available in a 70cl bottle, packaged in a striking presentation box.
Glenfiddich Select Cask and Glenfiddich Reserve Cask will be available as a global travel retail exclusive from 1st September. Glenfiddich Vintage Cask will be available from early 2014. The full range will be available across all global travel retail outlets from April 2014.
ENDS
Notes to editors
Tasting Notes
Glenfiddich Select Cask
Nose Beautifully fragrant and floral. Summer blossom notes with hints of creamy vanilla toffee and subtle oakiness. A touch of zesty citrus in the background
Taste Very soft and mellow with a lovely balance of oak and the trademark Glenfiddich character. Layers of sweetness and spice and with hints of freshly ground black pepper
Finish Crisp
Glenfiddich Reserve Cask
Nose A bold, vibrant aroma with an abundance of spice and oak. Fresh toasted white bread with marmalade. Antique leather and parchment
Taste Deliciously smooth and silky. The sweetness of the spirit and spice of the Spanish oak combine to give a complex, intriguing flavour that evolves in the glass
Finish Very long lasting with an enduring sweetness
Glenfiddich Vintage Cask
Nose Freshly cut straw and bonfire smoke on an autumn evening. The intermingling of the smokiness and leafy, floral notes is quite mesmerising
Taste An initial burst of sweetness with vanilla, crème brûlée and citrus is immediately followed by a rush of smoke, burning embers and meadow flowers. The flavour meanders from sweet to smoky and back again with every sip
Finish Sweet oak and dry smokiness
About Willam Grant & Sons and Glenfiddich
William Grant & Sons, Ltd. is an independent family-owned distiller headquartered in the United Kingdom and founded by William Grant in 1886. Today, the luxury spirits company is run by the fifth generation of his family and distils some of the world’s leading brands of Scotch whisky, including the world’s favourite single malt Glenfiddich®, The Balvenie® range of handcrafted single malts and the world’s third largest blended Scotch Grant’s® as well as other iconic spirits brands such as Hendrick’s® Gin, Sailor Jerry®, Milagro® Tequila and, most recently, Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey
Recent Awards:
International Spirits Challenge 2013
Gold : Glenfiddich 12 Year Old
Gold: Glenfiddich 18 Year Old
Gold: Glenfiddich 30 Year Old
Gold: Glenfiddich 40 Year Old
Gold: Glenfiddich Age of Discovery Madeira Cask Finish
Gold: Glenfiddich Age of Discovery Bourbon Cask Reserve
Gold: Glenfiddich 125th Anniversary Edition
Gold: Glenfiddich Ultimate 38 Year Old
Scotch Whisky Masters Awards 2013
Master: Glenfiddich 15 Year Old
Master: Glenfiddich Ultimate 38 Year Old
Master: Glenfiddich 125th Anniversary Edition
Gold: Glenfiddich Rich Oak
Gold: Glenfiddich 18 Year Old
Gold: Glenfiddich Distillery Edition 15 Year Old
Gold: Glenfiddich 12 Year Old
Gold: Glenfiddich Age of Discovery Madeira Cask Finish
Gold: Glenfiddich Age of Discovery Bourbon Cask Reserve
Gold: Glenfiddich Malt Master’s Edition
Gold: Glenfiddich 40 Year Old
International Wine and Spirit Competition 2013
Trophy for Single Malt Cask Strength: Glenfiddich 40 Year Old
Gold Outstanding: Glenfiddich 40 Year Old
Gold: Glenfiddich Malt Master’s Edition
Gold: Glenfiddich 30 Year Old
Gold: Glenfiddich 21 Year Old
Gold: Glenfiddich 15 Year Old
Gold: Glenfiddich Rich Oak
Gold: Glenfiddich 12 Year Old
Original source: Company Release
Expert analysis
Global market review of blended and single malt Scotch whisky – forecasts to 2017
This latest global Scotch whisky report from IWSR and just-drinks is the most comprehensive edition we've published. It features 135 data tables covering the consumption volumes of the top malt and blended brands in each of 30+ countries, plus forecasts for Scotch by quality category globally and in each market.
Sectors: Product launches, Spirits
Companies: William Grant, Glenfiddich
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